By Obinna Uballa
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Mrs. Grace Adayilo, the pioneer Head of the Civil Service of the FCT and the first woman to perform that role.
Some Nigerians have also expressed sadness over her passing on social media.
Adayilo passed away in the early hours of Monday, September 1, 2025. Her death was confirmed in a terse response by her Special Assistant on Media, Anthony Odey, who declined to provide further details about the circumstances of her demise.
Reacting to the development during a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike described her death as “sad and unfortunate,” noting that she was a dedicated and hardworking public servant.
“The late FCT Head of Service was very hardworking. I even pleaded with President Tinubu to extend her tenure because of her diligence,” Wike said. “If I had received the information about her passing earlier, I would have postponed this media chat.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had appointed Adayilo as the first substantive Head of the Civil Service of the FCT on October 6, 2024, an appointment that took immediate effect.
Prior to that role, she served as the Permanent Secretary of the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat.
Her appointment was historic as she became not only the pioneer Head of Service of the FCT but also the first female to hold the office.
As of press time, her family had not released an official statement on the cause of her death.
Adayilo’s passing comes just a day after the death of former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase at Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja.
Arase, who served as Nigeria’s 18th IGP, later became Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in January 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was removed from office in June 2024 by President Tinubu.
